Thoughts, links, inside information and program previews from the host of Chicagoland's premier local-access political talk show.

Monday, September 17, 2007

14th CD candidate Mayor Burns: On cable, now streaming, and an abortion position clarified?

Jeff Berkowitz: But, you are not pro-Life in the sense that you would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned so other people who disagree with you could not go ahead and get an abortion. You don’t want to make abortion illegal, do you?

Mayor Kevin Burns: I don’t want Kevin Burns’ decisions to impinge the rights of others to make their own and as a congressperson I most likely will not have that opportunity. Public Affairs, Sep. 2, 2007 *********************************Jeff Berkowitz: Would you support making abortion illegal except in those cases in which the life of the mother was at issue, or the mother was the victim of rape or incest?

Mayor Kevin Burns: I would certainly be amenable to considering such legislation depending on the details. Telephone Interview, Sep. 13, 2007.*******************************This reporter sought, in the course of a telephone interview last Thursday, with Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, 43, (one of three Republican Primary candidates seeking to replace Cong. and former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Plano, 14th CD)) after he completes the current term, to clarify some possible ambiguity from the discussion Mayor Burns and this reporter had about abortion on “Public Affairs,” airing tonight in the City of Chicago, City of Aurora and other portions of the 14th Cong. District. [You can now watch the show on your computer by going to PublicAffairsTv.com or to Itunes.com; And, read a partial transcript of the show, here].

The show with Mayor Burns airs tonight through-out the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 at 8:30 pm. The show also airs tonight through-out Aurora and in some surrounding areas on Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10 at 7:30 pm. The Aurora station reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.

The abortion discussion on the show consumed only about three per cent of the show’s time, with other topics discussed including the War, trade, immigration, tax cuts, discrimination based on sexual orientation, etc. [See here for a list of topics]. However, abortion is a fairly important issue in both the Republican Primary and the general election in the 14th CD, so this reporter sought to clarify the apparently nuanced view of Mayor Burns on that issue. Mayor Burns is generally characterized as the “moderate Republican,” of the three Republicans in the Republican Primary [See here for a discussion of the 14th CD race, and its players.]

It looks like and sounds like, on the show, as if Mayor Burns favors the congressional ban on partial birth abortion that was legislated about four years ago [See partial transcript of tonight's show; the ban was held, this spring, by the Supreme Court to be constitutional]. However, the host had not received a clear answer on the show to his question on that matter. In last Thursday’s conversation, Burns indicated to this reporter than he does favor that ban.

Mayor Burns also said in this reporter’s phone interview of last Thursday with Burns, “abortion should never be used as a form of birth control. But, in the case of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at issue, the abortion decision should be between a woman, her family, her physician and her God.”

However, that statement seemed odd because on our show, Burns seemed to eschew a generalized limitation on abortion, except for milder restraints, e.g., parental notice:

Jeff Berkowitz: But, you are not pro-Life in the sense that you would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned so other people who disagree with you could not go ahead and get an abortion. You don’t want to make abortion illegal, do you?

Mayor Kevin Burns: I don’t want Kevin Burns’ decisions to impinge the rights of others to make their own and as a congressperson I most likely will not have that opportunity. Public Affairs, Sep. 2, 2007 and see here. [Interestingly, this Burns view about not "imping[ing] the rights of others," is not that different from the abortion view articulated by Jim Oberweis in his first U. S. Senate Republican Primary campaign in 2001-02. Oberweis, also a candidate in the 14th CD, has modified his abortion views quite a bit since that time.

But, in last Thursday's phone conversation, Burns was articulating exceptions, but exceptions to what?

So, last Thursday this reporter asked Mayor Burns the central abortion question a little differently and got a response closer to a traditional pro-Life stance than the one that was given on the show:

Jeff Berkowitz: Would you support making abortion illegal except in those cases in which the life of the mother was at issue, or the mother was the victim of rape or incest?

Mayor Kevin Burns: I would certainly be amenable to considering such legislation depending on the details.

I asked Mayor Burns what he meant by the details, but he didn’t want to expand on his answer.